Member Rating

Amazing First Time Cruise

Sail Date:
March 2012

Destination:
Bahamas

Embarkation:
Other

This was the first cruise for my wife and I. Overall, it was a great experience! Yes, this was our first cruise and nothing to compare it to, but I would definitely do this again with Bahamas Celebration! We met passengers that were frequent cruisers, and their opinion of the ship was just like ours!

From the start, it was an easy boarding experience. We got there pretty early, and there weren't a lot of people. Word of advice, make sure you finish your drinks and food before boarding! You will not be able to take in into the building with you, it was $15 a day for Valet Parking which is your only choice, so it was $60 for us from the start. Bring cash for that as that's the only form of payment accepted.

We boarded around 12:30 and the first thing we were introduced to was the announcement that there was food being served on the top deck. This was great for us since we had an almost 3 hour long car ride! Food was great, and since it was a buffet, I definitely went up More
for seconds. We roamed around the ship for awhile, and felt like we had the whole ship to ourselves. I guess people wait last minute to board! We didn't mind, we were able to go everywhere without bumping into anybody.

Rooms were ready a few hours after we boarded, and our luggage delivered right to our door. The room was spacious for the both of us, and the window was a nice size. I didn't expect too much of the bathroom, but was pleasantly surprised by the size. Our Room Attendant Marius was awesome, he was very attentive, and was full of answers when we caught him in the hallways..

We then went to dinner at Rio's, and this place was by far the best food we had on the ship! Service was amazing! Food kept coming around and we definitely ate to our hearts content. Johnnie, our server was great and was always around whenever we needed him! The employees of this ship are second to none,

As for entertainment, we played bingo, saw Showtime, which had 3 acts from singing, comedy, and a cirque type act. Bingo was entertaining, as the host Roy was pretty amusing. His jokes made this a Bingo experience to remember. Showtime was also fun to watch. We sat really close to the front, so we saw everything! They do 2 showings of Showtime, so you have the opportunity to watch it again if you enjoyed it that much! After docking at port, breakfast is served top deck and at Rio's. We ate at both haha.

The Our Lucaya Resort is beautiful! The water and sand were just perfect. The only complaint we had was the process of Checking In. It took us almost 3 hours just to get a room, although we already booked months in advance. After all the speed bumps and delays, we were upgraded to an Ocean View, which was just phenomenal. We stayed 8th floor, and the view of the ocean, sunset, sunrise, and entertainment were great! We stayed 2 nights on the island, and it was just enough time to enjoy ourselves without getting tired of it.

The cruise back home was nothing short of the first one. We had the same cabin which was great as we new Marius would be there again. He even made a swan out of towels for us! We ate at the Crystal Dining room this time around, and service there was amazing as well. I would have preferred food from Rio's though. We played bingo again, and watched new shows in Showtime. We added karaoke to our agenda this time, and was glad that Roy from bingo hosted that one. Like at bingo, he was pretty funny! We stayed up later this time around, as the weather was just great.

The whole experience was amazing. I would do it over and over again. My wife and I are planning to go again when we have the opportunity to. The staff just made it wonderful experience. If you read any negative reviews about this ship, they probably didn't cruise with Bahamas Celebration. It was clean, food plentiful, staff attentive, and there was enough entertainment for the guests. If you are debating on either just a day cruise or the island stay, do the island stay. Our Lucaya Resort was great! You won't regret it. They definitely earned our support, and have long time customers.